Water heater baffle



6, 1932- A. F. CRAVER I 1,875,856

WATER HEATER BAFFLE Filed Jan. 5, 1931 INVENTOR Albert F. Grave/r MoATTOR Patented Sept. 6, 1932 "unwrap STATES PATENT OFFICE f ALBERT F.CBAVEB, or LAKEWOOD, onro, assrenon ro'rHEc EvELANnnEATEn corr- PANY, 0FCLEVELAND, onro, a co PoRArIon or 0310 WATER HJill-DEER- BAIEFLEApplication filed. January 5,1931. Serial 10.506 54.

This invention relates to heating appliances and in particular bafflingdevices for use in connection therewith adapted to be located in thepath of the heated gases from a source of heat-for the purpose ofefi'ecting an eflicient transfer of heat from one medium to another. v 7

My invention is particularly adapted foruse in connection with internalfired water heaters of the type employing a fine which runs through thestorage vessel of the heater by means of which the heat generated by agas burner is transferred to the liquid contents of the container. Ithas for its object the provision of a battle for the heated products ofcombustion of a gas burner which is adapt ed to effect a more efficienttransfer of heat to the liquid contents of the container and at the sametime is designed so as to be inexpensive to manufacture and easy toinstall and constructed so as to greatly increase the efficiency of theheater without slowing down the velocity of the gases being vented tothe point where incomplete combustion might take place.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement and combination of partsQhereinafterdescribed, illustrated in some of its embodiments in the accompanyingdrawing and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a sectional view showing my improved bafflein combination with an internal fired water heater.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of one of the baffle elements.

Figure 3 is an end view of the baffle elements.

Figure 4 is a side view showing the construction of the end portions ofthe baffle.

Figure 5 is a side view of the upper portion of the top baflie member.

Figure 6 is an end view of the top baflie member.

The heater shown in the drawing comprises a water storage tank orcontainer 1 with the lower portion 13 extended below,

the bottom of the tank so as to form a combustion space 5 for thereception of the burner 1-1. m This burner is provided with centralportion 4 thatis adapted to function as an independently cont-rolledpilot light. The gas suply to the main burner 11 iscontrolled by thevalve 6, and the gas supply of the pilot 4 is controlled by a valve 7.Both of these valves are adapted to be placed into communication with asource of gas supply which may be connected to the inlet side of thebody of the valve 6.

A passsageway or flue3 communicateswith the combustion space 5 andextends longit'u' dinally through the heater tank I terminating atthetop thereof where it is adapted to besconnect ed to a chimney by .meansof a suitable vent. pipe. The upper portion of the tank is provided witha art oftapped openings one of which is shown in Figure 7 land which areadapted for the reception of union fittings such as 2 whereby the. coldwater'inlet and the hot water outlet of the heater are connected tothecold water supply line and to the hot water piping system.

Inorder toeifect a more eflicient transfer of heat in the flue 3 to thecontentsfof the tank 1 Ihave devisedand use an improved baflie which ispreferably formed from cast iron and is made in sections so that it mayJoe-used with heaters of various lengths without requiring any change inthe construction of the baffles otherthanthat. of adding or taking ofadditional baflle elements. The individual baffles 8- are formed withahelical surf ace as would result from twisting a flat strip; ofmaterial andpat their upper ends have spacer fins 10' and notched 'o-rfhooked portions 12 by means of which thead-jacent baffle elementsare.secured to eachother. The upper battle is provided with projections orextending portions 9 which are adapted to engage the upp'er'portion ofthe tank for the purpose of supporting the otherbafile memberssecured'toit in position in the flue or passageway 13.. v

A single pattern is used in making the molds for the baffle elements.This pattern is substantially the same as the baffieshown in Figure 2."Wheni t is desired to cast. the end bafiiemembers a. rectangular rod isfitted in the hooked portions 12: of the pattern-so that one end of thepattern would look like the bafile end portions shown in Figures 5 and6, and the element cast from such a pattern would correspond to theupper element shown in Figure 1. By this expedient. all of thebafllefelements may be cast from a single'pattern. In the operation ofthe heater,'the heated gases from the combustion space '5- flow throughthe flue or passageway 3- and by reason of my improved baflie aredirected and thrown against the sides of the passagewa y and theirlength of travel is considerably increased so that by reasonof these two.factors a more. efiicient transferof heat is ef fected, therebyincreasing the over-all efliciency ofthe heater and efiecting a markedsavings in the amount of gas consumed. In addition to the effectsnoted-,. a considerable portion of the heat absorbed by the baflles I isdirectly conducted to the sidesof the flue andthen transferred to thewater in the tank from the other and having laterally "extendhelicalform, said members being provided with end hooks for suspending. onemember ing fins adapted to contact with the correspondingfins of theadjacent element.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature. J t ALBERT F. CRAVER.

1. In addition to these advantages it is ap parent that this'bafllemaybe used-on heaters of difierent lengths by 'merely changing thenumber baifie' elements as required. When the baflie elements are inpositionin the flue 3 it is impossible to disengage them from each otheras they must be laterally displaced in order to efi'ect suchdisengagement and they are fitted in the fiue'so 'thatit is impossibletomake such displacement. Furthermore, it is' tofbe understood that theparticular forms of apparatus shown and describechand theparticularprocedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explana%tion and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatusand procedure can be made without departing from my invention as definedin the appended claims. g Having thus describedmy invention, what Iclaimis: v V

1. A baflie tor a heating applianceeomprising a pluralityof detachablyand vertically arranged interlockingbafile elements of I cast metal, theupper bafileelement of'which is provided with a supporting cross bar atI one end and hooks at the other end and the lower baflles of which are;provided with hooks at their ends for detachable'engagement with eachother'and with saidfirst mentioned'element.

2. A baffle for water heaters comprising a plurality of detachably and"vertically arranged interlocking baflle plates formed with notched endswhereby the engagement be- .tween; adjacent battles is effected; theuppermost bafile having a laterally extending rod I formed in thenotched portions of one end thereof for the purpose of supporting thebafiie in the heater.

3. A vertically arranged baflle for a heating appliancecomprising apluralityof similarly formed detachably interlocked -mem-' we n bers,said members being provided with end

